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Bringing people together to fight avoidable blindness.
Orbis Canada became an affiliate of Orbis International in 1984, joining the fight against avoidable blindness in developing nations by creating awareness and raising funds throughout Canada. Orbis Canada is proud to have donors from coast to coast in every province and territory and an incredible group of Canadian medical volunteers who train and restore vision on many projects each year, including those on board the Flying Eye Hospital.
Statistics from Orbis
- 253 million people in the world are blind or visually impaired, with 75% of those conditions treatable or entirely preventable
- 90% of individuals suffering from blindness or visual impairment live in low-to-middle-income countries where access to high-quality eye care is extremely limited or non-existent
- Orbis has been around for nearly 40 years and is the global leader in the prevention and treatment of blindness
- Orbis has worked in 90 countries worldwide and works in 18 countries (including Bangladesh, China, Ghana, Cameroon, India, Nepal etc.)
- Orbis has over 400 volunteer faculty (Ophthalmologists, nurses, anesthesiologists, biomedical engineers) that volunteer their time to educate and mentor local doctors in the countries we work
- Fun Fact: 20% of our Volunteer Faculty are Canadian
- Facts and Figures:
- 63,063 pieces of training completed by doctors, nurses, other eye care workers and community volunteers
- 8,364,482 doses of Zithromax/Tetracycline distributed for Trachoma (the leading infectious cause of blindness in the world)
- 3,199,194 eye screenings and examinations for children
- 395,611 glasses prescribed
- 78,195 surgeries and laser treatments performed
- The Orbis Plane Pull for Sight has been around for 12 years. (2020 marks the 12th annual event in Toronto, 11th annual event in Vancouver and 4th in Calgary)
- The ultimate tug-of-war challenge with teams fundraising and competing to pull a massive 60-tonne FedEx 757 cargo plane 20 feet across the tarmac
- Orbis has raised nearly $1.5 million from the Plane Pull to date to fight avoidable blindness
How to get your practice can get involved
Options include:
- Donations - Whether a one-time, monthly tribute or planned legacy, your donations are appreciated
- Plane Pull for Sight - A fun way for your team to get involved in a fundraising event
- Corporate Partnership - Share in the long-term commitment of ending avoidable blindness
- Volunteer - Suppor their global missions and change the way the world sees
For questions contact Emily Harper (emily.harper@orbis.org or 416-413-7925 x14) or visit their website